Copyright Policy

Photographers own their photos. Everyone who uploads to Collectwall confirms they took the photo or have permission to post it, and is solely responsible for it under our Terms of Service. Collectwall stores content at the direction of its users and does not review ownership before photos are published.

We respond to notices of alleged infringement under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512 ("DMCA"), and handle notices from other countries in the same way.

Report a photo that uses your work

A notice must be in writing and include:

• your physical or electronic signature (typing your full name is fine);
• identification of the copyrighted work you say is infringed, for example a link to where you published it;
• the link to each photo on Collectwall you want removed;
• your name, postal address, telephone number and email address;
• a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent or the law;
• a statement that the information in the notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the owner or authorised to act on the owner's behalf.

Incomplete notices may not be acted on.

Counter-notices

If your photo was removed and you believe it was a mistake or misidentification, you can send a counter-notice that includes:

• your physical or electronic signature, name, address and telephone number;
• the link to the removed photo;
• a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the photo was removed by mistake or misidentification;
• a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the U.S. federal district court for the judicial district of your address (or, if you are outside the United States, any judicial district in which Collectwall may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who sent the original notice.

What happens next

• After a complete notice we remove or disable access to the photo promptly and tell the uploader.
• We forward a complete counter-notice to the person who sent the notice.
• Unless they tell us within 10 business days that they have filed a court action, we may restore the photo 10 to 14 business days after receiving the counter-notice.
• Each confirmed infringement gives the uploader a strike. Accounts with three strikes, or that we otherwise consider repeat infringers, are closed.
• Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), anyone who knowingly makes a material misrepresentation in a notice or counter-notice may be liable for damages, including costs and legal fees.
• We may share notices, including your name, with the uploader and with organisations that collect takedown notices.

Collectwall is not a party to disputes between rights holders and users, and does not decide who owns a work.

Watermarks

Every photo on Collectwall carries a strip with the photographer's @username. Removing it, or reposting photos from Collectwall elsewhere without the photographer's permission, is not allowed and may also violate 17 U.S.C. § 1202.

Send a notice or request